The first round of pro qualifying at zMax Dragway on Friday brought a lot of firsts in official NHRA competition. But it also brought drag racing’s first blue light special.

The first four-wide qualifying sessions brought along a set of blue lights atop the NHRA’s christmas tree, adding to the confusion of many drivers here. With normal two-lane runs, staging is fairly simple. A driver focuses on the tree and the next lane.

But for four-wide racing, there is essentially another two-lane drag strip. NHRA added a tree to the second two lanes of track, and the blue lights indicate the pre-stage and stage progress of the two opposite lanes.

Even thought the drag strip includes two more lanes, Cory McLenathan is still comfortable at zMax Dragway.

McClenathan, the winner at zMax last September, roared to the top of Top Fuel the  ladder with a 3.790-second, 315.93 mph pass in Friday’s second round of qualifying.

Asked if he wanted to race at the Concord, N.C. track every weekend, McClenathan just smiled.

John Force Racing’s Robert Hight ripped down the zMax Dragway during the second round of qualifying for the 4-Wide Nationals, setting a track record and posting the third-quickest 1,000-foot time in NHRA history.

But Hight wants more. And, he knows he might need more. Hight said Friday that his 4.024-second, 314.24 mph run may not hold up in Saturday’s qualifying sessions.

“Yeah, I believe the conditions will be good enough tomorrow that if I don’t run better than a 4.02, that may not stay No. 1,” Hight said. “I’ve been in this position quite a few times, running these killer runs, and never backed it up for a national record. I’ve never got a record. I’ve made the quickest runs at quarter-mile and quickest runs at 1,000 feet, but never backed it up. Tomorrow, our goal is to back this thing up.”

  Two weeks ago in Gainesville, Fla., Jason Line was concerned with the condition of his right foot within his Pro Stock KB Racing Pontiac. To compensate for the weakness, he relied heavily on his left.

Line, of Mooresville, NC, wasn’t referring to an illness or an ache or pain to his person. His right foot was directly connected to his horsepower output while his left worked his clutch pedal near flawless.

Line was pleased to report on the first day of qualifying for the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, his right foot was feeling fine. The past Pro Stock world champion holds the provisional No. 1 qualifying spot headed into Saturday qualifying with a 6.584 elapsed time at 210.50 miles per hour.

Two past Funny Car champions participated in Friday’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, one from inside of the cockpit and the other from outside.

Tony Pedregon was one of the 32 nitro racers who competed in  the first national event showcasing four cars racing to the finish line simultaneously.

Kenny Bernstein participated but in a different role. Bernstein, a four-time Funny Car champion with a Top Fuel title, took in Friday’s action from a team owner role.

Forget the challenges of qualifying four wide and the associated intricacies, Pro Stock rider Matt Smith is focused on getting the job done he fell short of last September at his home track of zMax Dragway.

Smith, from nearby King, NC, lost in the first round at the NHRA Carolinas Nationals and for the hometown favorite, that was a bitter pill to swallow for the last seven months.

“I wanted to win this race really bad last year and we weren’t able to pull it off,” Smith lamented. “This weekend I have another opportunity. Maybe I can stay No. 1 and win this race.”

Cory McClenathan raced to the Top Fuel qualifying lead Friday at the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway.

Robert Hight, Jason Line and Matt Smith also were leaders in their respective categories at the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event, the first in NHRA history to feature four-wide drag racing.

McClenathan posted a track-record time of 3.790 seconds at 315.93 mph in his FRAM dragster to hold the early lead over teammates Antron Brown, who was second with a 3.819 at 213.93 in his Matco Tools dragster, and third-place Tony Schumacher, who posted a performance of 3.830 at 315.49 in his U.S. Army dragster.

Ask any driver about safety and he or she will tell you it's nothing to mess around with. Safety, regardless of the form of motorsports, be it drag racing, Indy car or stock car racing has to be first priority.

If you can believe the SFI, Impact Racing may have been playing fast and loose with driver safety. In a notice posted on the SFI website, the foundation has issued a cease and desist notice and a termination of contracts order against Impact Racing.

Donnie Bender, whose last crew chief gig was with Don Prudhomme Racing last season, is at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals this weekend with a different blue uniform.

Bender is working with the Kenny Bernstein Racing Co-Part-sponsored team for at least this weekend as a consultant.

The NHRA officially ushered in four wide qualifying Friday afternoon, a truly historic moment in the sport's history.

Pro Stock Motorcycle opened the professional qualifying session for the inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway.